What is this Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report?

This report is a summary of your district's/LEA's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results.
The purpose of AYP is to ensure that all students have reading and math skills that
prepare them for the future. Adequate Yearly Progress measures whether schools and
districts/LEAs have met the improvement goals established by No Child Left Behind. To
"make AYP," students in the school or district/LEA must meet goals in all three AYP
Objectives: (1) Graduation and/or Attendance, (2) Academic Performance, and (3) Test
Participation.
This year, districts/LEAs are assessed in three grade spans: Grades 3–5,
6–8, and 9–12. In
NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH SD, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
(PSSA) taken by students in Grades 3-8 and 11 is used to determine Academic Performance
and Test Participation in Reading and Mathematics.To learn more about AYP, click
the "About AYP" link at the top of the page.

Did this district/LEA meet all AYP measures?

NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH SD
met all AYP Measures (Graduation, Attendance, Academic Performance, and Test Participation)
in
2011-12. This is good news! This district/LEA is on track to meet the goal of
all students reaching proficiency.

Unlike schools, districts/LEAs are not required to meet all indicators to demonstrate adequate
yearly progress. Although
NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH SD
made AYP this year, not all measures were met. This means that improvement is needed
in:

Reading Performance in Grades 9-12. At least one of the student groups performed below the AYP target of 81% and did not show enough improvement from last year to reach Safe Harbor.

Mathematics Performance in Grades 9-12. At least one of the student groups performed below the AYP target of 78% and did not show enough improvement from last year to reach Safe Harbor.

The performance chart and/or data table can show more details about how this district/LEA
performed.

Did this district/LEA meet any AYP targets through Safe Harbor?

Safe Harbor is achieved when a subgroup has greatly improved since the previous
year — even though it did not meet the state goal. (The measure for Safe Harbor
improvement is at least a 10% reduction of the percentage of students who scored
below proficient for Reading or Mathematics from last year to this year).

Did this district/LEA meet any AYP measures through the Growth Model?

The Growth Model recognizes the efforts of schools and districts/LEAs whose students have not achieved
proficiency but are on trajectories towards proficiency on future PSSA exams. The
Growth Model will be calculated for Performance Indicators (i.e., the all student
group and up to nine subgroups). Projected scores are calculated for all
students - including students who are proficient. If a projected score cannot be
calculated for a particular student, the student’s actual score is used. The Growth
Model will be applied to an AYP Performance Indicator only
if the indicator cohort has not met AYP performance by any of the existing goals or targets.
Actual, not projected, PASA scores, PSSA-M scores, 3rd
grade scores, and 11th grade scores are always used,
as well as the scores for any students with insufficient data points to make a
projection.

Did this district/LEA meet any AYP measures through the appeals
process?

When initial AYP results are announced each year, schools and districts/LEAs have the
opportunity to review the data that is utilized to determine AYP and request changes
through the Bureau of Assessment and Accountability to correct any errors.
Also, schools and districts/LEAs have the opportunity to appeal the AYP
rulings through the Pennsylvania Department of Education if they believe their AYP
identification was in error for statistical or other substantive reasons.

Since all test performance targets/goals to meet AYP were met by
NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH SD, appeals were not applicable.

What does this report mean for
NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH SD?

Well done! This district/LEA has performed well this year, and appears to be on track
to meet the goal of all students attaining proficiency in Reading and Math by the
year 2014.

This district/LEA may wish to review its improvement strategies and create an improvement
plan to continue to meet AYP next year. Click the 'About AYP' link at the top of
the page to learn more about AYP requirements and AYP status levels in Pennsylvania.

What can teachers and administrators do?

Teachers:

Teachers of students who were tested for AYP have access to information that can
help inform their instruction. Contact your principal for access to the instructional
tools online, as well as to the published Parent Reports and School Reports, which
should be available at your school.

For teachers with students who were tested for AYP in Spring 2012, copies of printed
Parent Reports are available to identify stronger and weaker areas by standard for
each student. These reports can help current teachers target instruction to each
student.

School reports in print and online are also available for Grades 3–8 and 11, the
grades tested for AYP in Spring 2012. These reports can provide insight into grade-specific
topic areas that may require additional attention during the current school year.

Administrators:

New requirements will be in effect for meeting future AYP state targets.

The 2013 state target for students at or above proficient will be 11 percentage
points higher for Mathematics (78% in
2012
to 89% in 2013), and will be 10 percentage points higher in Reading (from 81% in
2012
to 91% in 2013).

Suggestions for improving performance:

Make personal phone calls to parents or caregivers if a child skips a day. Automated
phone messages are less likely to make an impact.

Contact other schools or districts/LEAs that have achieved large gains in areas where
your school or district/LEA wishes to improve. Collecting best practices can help you
develop strategies for improvement.

To find schools that have made large gains in academic performance within a specific
demographic subgroup, download the results for all the schools in the state (click
here to access the
State Report
page and download files). Schools with the greatest improvement in your areas of
interest will have the highest "Safe Harbor: Reduction of Non-proficiency" in that
area. (This indicates they have the largest percentage reduction in non-proficient
students.) Sort the downloaded results from highest to lowest for the subgroup of
interest in reading or mathematics to identify schools showing the most improvement
over the past year.

Suggestions for improving test participation and attendance:

Work with parents to ensure their children are attending school every day, including
testing days. Meet with all new students and their families to emphasize the importance
of attendance in your school.